1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a high speed wire handling and cutting apparatus for continuously feeding accurately metered lengths of wire from a wire supply to a cutter, so that wire sections of precise and uniform length may be cut from the supply and delivered to either a storage facility or to a succeeding stage (e.g. a high speed welder) in a packaging and/or manufacturing assembly line. By way of example, the present wire handling and cutting apparatus has particular application to the packaging of electronic components, or the like, wherein wire leads of particular dimension are provided for electrical connection to the components.
2. The Prior Art
For many high speed applications, and particularly in the packaging of electronic components, or the like, wire sections having a precise and uniform length are required. However, conventional wire handlers and wire cutters are commonly characterized by the inability to continuously and accurately meter out a particular length of wire from a supply thereof, so that such precise and uniform length wire sections can be delivered to and cut, at high operating speeds, by the wire cutter.
What is more, conventional wire handlers and wire cutters are often characterized by a lack of efficiency. That is, some wire handlers and cutters temporarily release or lose contact with the wire sections once they are cut from a wire supply. In order to transfer the wire sections to a succeeding stage (such as, for example, a high speed welder) in a packaging and/or manufacturing assembly line, the wire handler must again locate and engage each section. This temporary disengagement of the wire handler from the wire sections may undesirably delay the packaging and/or manufacturing process, because of the additional time needed to re-engage and properly align each wire section for delivery to the succeeding assembly line stage. Such delay may become acute at high operating speeds when a steady stream of wire sections must be continuously cut and delivered to the succeeding stage.